Choose You Whom You Shall Serve

Choose you this Day Whom you shall Serve

Study Text: Joshua 24:14 - 15

Introduction:

This scriptural portion highlights the importance of making a deliberate choice to serve God and emphasizes the need for individual commitment.

It challenges believers to choose wholeheartedly to serve the Lord, and setting an example for their households to follow.

The passage emphasizes that serving God is a conscious choice, not a passive acceptance.

Joshua urges the people to serve God with sincerity and faithfulness, putting away the gods of their ancestors and embracing true devotion.

He serves as a powerful example of personal commitment to God, and how a father's choice can impact the household's spiritual direction.

Deliberate choice to serve the Lord, with personal commitment can produce family influence, and plays significant roles in shaping one's spiritual journey.

We shall be discussing the topic under three subheadings:

1. The Call to Decision

2. The Commitment to Desire

3. The Consequences to Discover

1. The Call to Decision

Joshua challenged the people to make a decision on Whom they shall serve.

The choice is not whether they will serve God or not, but which one they will serve.

He knew that every man has a god. That master passion by which his life is governed. There are those who worship knowledge, money, a personality, and some do worship various kinds of graven images and idols. In those days there were many choices of gods.

The power of choice is a sacred gift of God. We should recognize it as such and use it discreetly.

Believing on God and serving Him wholeheartedly is a matter of choice. You can choose to believe. You will discover all you need to intellectually support that choice.

You can choose not to believe on God. You will then develop arguments to support your position.

The intellectual factors do not determine your choice but are developed after your choice is made. Now if you choose to believe, look at all the benefits that are offered to you. If you choose not to believe what hope do you have?

The wisest way to exercise this freedom of choice is to choose to submit your choices to God, who is far wiser than any man.

Life is a series of choices. We make choices every day. Some choices have far-reaching consequences and other choices are not so far-reaching. Our choices determine the character, direction, destiny, and eternity of our life. Thus, learning what to choose and how to choose is very important in our lives.

Destiny is not a Chance, Destiny is a Choice.

How to choose the right destiny?

1. Remember what God has done.

Joshua lifts his voice in thundering tones and speaks on behalf of God. He begins with God’s call to Abraham and he recounts in stirring notes all the wondrous ways in which the Lord led his people down to this very day. Joshua 24:1-13

When people obeyed God, God prospered them. They have a land they had not labored for, cities they had not built, and a harvest that they had not planted. All our blessings are God’s gift to us. One of the ways for us to help keep focus in life is to remember what God has done in our life.

The primary way we remember what God has done is through reading His Word. Remember the work of Christ. However, we also need to be constantly reminded of all the things that God has done for us personally throughout our life.

2. Be Faithful to and Singleminded with God. Joshua 24:14

When Joshua urged the people to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully, the biggest danger here wasn’t that the people wouldn’t worship God. It was that they would develop a religion that just mixed in God along with all the other gods and other priorities of life.

Joshua is telling them not to mix with different priorities. Don’t serve two masters. We live in a world that has grown comfortable with partial commitments. Get off the fence. Give your absolute devotion to God alone. If you are serious about God, serve Him alone wholeheartedly.

James gives us the key to avoid double-mindedness. Submit to God and resist the devil. James 4:7-8

God is not interested in these partial commitments.

Jesus said to the church at Laodicea: Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

One of the biggest dangers for Christians today is this: Not that they will reject Jesus, but rather they will add Jesus into their lives along with other things. Matthew 6:24

2. The Commitment to Desire